Not much has changed in this week’s Heisman Trophy race, though Clemson linebacker Isaiah Simmons continues to hang around on a list dominated by offensive players, especially the quarterbacks.
Simmons leads the Tigers with 42 tackles heading into Saturday’s noon kick at Louisville.
No. 6: Isaiah Simmons, redshirt Jr., Clemson. Hanging on by a thread, Simmons did what he had to in Clemson’s win last week over Florida State. Still missing that key interception, Simmons is dangerously close to running out of time in the statistical department. While he still continually looks like the best player on the field, Heisman voters will always lean towards statistics instead of how a player is used or his value to a team.
No. 5: Jonathan Taylor, Jr., RB, Wisconsin. Jonathan Taylor rushed for under 100 yards for the first time in a very long time against Michigan State last week. Nonetheless, Wisconsin easily washed them 36-0 and Taylor still put together two rushing touchdowns. Taylor’s trail down the list should continue as the quarterbacks begin to run away with the race.
No. 4: Justin Fields, sophomore., Ohio State. Coming off of a bye, Fields will look to take advantage of a Big Ten matchup with Northwestern this week. On the outside looking in, the young quarterback is still nowhere near out of this race but does have a long way to go.
No.3: Tua Tagovailoa, Jr., QB, Alabama. Dropping from 1st to 3rd this week, Tagovailoa still had a great week of football last week beating a ranked Texas A&M team with ease. On the other hand, he did not look like the most impressive quarterback on this list. Ranked wins mean a lot but when two candidates not only beat higher ranked teams but perform better as well, it is tough to maintain superiority. With an easy matchup against Tennessee coming up, Tagovailoa will have to be really impressive to make any more ground in the upcoming week.
No.2: Joe Burrow, Sr. QB, LSU. I personally think that Florida is an overrated team. Nonetheless, Burrow took a top 10 team and just ultimately made them look inferior to LSU. Throwing for his first game under 300 yards, Burrow still threw for a solid 293 yards and 3 touchdowns against one of the best defenses in college football. The senior quarterback also achieved his second 40-yard rushing game, showing off a little mobility the gunslinger hasn’t had to use.
No. 1: Jalen Hurts, Sr., QB, Oklahoma. After one short week, Hurts has reclaimed his top spot on the list. Taking on a tough No.11 Texas team and star quarterback Sam Ehlinger, Hurts was by far the best player on the field even outshining star receiver CeeDee Lamb who practically couldn’t be covered all game. Throwing for 3 touchdowns and putting together 131 yards and a touchdown on the ground, Hurts has been the most dangerous dual threat quarterback in college football.
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